InnerMission Productions will be presenting the Adam Bock comedy Swimming in the Shallows at the Diversionary Theatre beginning June 4. Swimming is a surreal comedy that weaves in a lesbian commitment ceremony, a middle-aged couple re-evaluating their lives, and a boy in love with a shark.
In a phone interview with LGBT Weekly, playwright Bock explained how the idea for Swimming came to be.
“With Swimming I had the idea ‘What if a guy fell in love with a shark?’” Bock said, “And slowly, but surely I started to build it. Swimming is kind of about the beginning, the middle and the end of a relationship. Each couple (in the play) has one of those journeys.”
Swimming has been done many times since its Boston premier in January 2000 and, while it has been done in Los Angeles and Long Beach, InnerMission’s production will mark its San Diego premier.
The script has many interesting and contrasting storylines and it seems there is something for everyone to enjoy about it. “I think what helps is that it’s funny and it has a certain kind of sweetness to it,” Bock said, “But even though it’s called Swimming in the Shallows it goes a little bit deeper at times. It’s really about what do you need and who do you need to be if you’re going to be in love. How do you take care of yourself in the middle of a relationship?”
When asked why he thought the play appealed to people and theatre groups, Bock said, “I think actually just the surprise of a guy falling in love with a shark is what gets people to notice it at first. There are great roles for women in it too.” Bock added, “Something about love and sharks and the fact that love is dangerous and that who you’re in love with or anybody you fall in love with could be a shark.”
Bocks intent was to write an ensemble piece, though the characters of Nick and the Shark tend to stick out in peoples minds. “I tried to split it up actually, I’m gay so I identify first with them, but then the other couples … well, there’s me in all of them. I think it’s actually an ensemble piece.”
There is also a lesbian couple contemplating marriage. “I have a bunch of lesbian couple friends who were really stable and in the middle of their relationships, so I would look to them to see how they were keeping it together,” Bock said. “Their issues were things like ‘How do I get her to stop smoking?’ and I just thought it would be great to have two wedding dresses on stage at the same time.”
Director and InnerMission Artistic Director Carla Neil and Co-Artistic Director Kym Pappas chose Swimming because it would be a San Diego premier. They also chose it because they wanted to do a comedy and they found it was edgy enough and something that InnerMission could tackle.
“We try to choose our material based on the content and if we like it we do it,” Neil wrote in an email interview. “One of the things that drew me to this particular story is that it is about finding love, being in love and losing love. It is less about being gay and more about being a human being who has a heart that can be broken or embraced.
“It handles the relationships brilliantly and doesn’t really comment on the sexuality of the characters as much as their need to find love regardless if you are gay, straight or in this case a shark.”
The cast for Swimming was assembled by audition and even though Kym Pappas is the co-artistic director, and will be found in the cast, she was not excused from the audition process. “Everyone involved auditioned and everyone except Philip John I have worked with before.” Neil added, “We have veteran actors Kevin Six, Kathi Copeland and Philip John, along with newcomers Eve Parker and J.D. Burke and of course not a newcomer but Kym Pappas who is my co-artistic director but she also had to audition just like everyone else!”
Neil and InnerMission Productions have been producing since 2005 and have worked at the Diversionary space before with shows like The Vagina Monologues and Dog Sees God. “I actually produced and directed one of my first shows in the community at Diversionary many, many years ago,” Neil wrote, “We did a night of one-acts and I have been involved with Diversionary on a few projects such as Dear Harvey and directing staged readings etc. They knew we are a gypsy theatre so they have generously offered it to us in their downtime.”
When asked what was next for InnerMission Neil mentioned that they have a few things in the works, but because the company has no permanent home they are not ready to announce anything just yet. “We will definitely be back [at Diversionary] to produce The Vagina Monologues and all of our V-day events in February or March of next year!”
Swimming in the Shallows opens June 4 and closes June 26 and will run Wednesday through Sunday at the Diversionary Theatre located at 4545 Park Blvd.
For more information about this production, or how to buy tickets, go to innermissionproductions.org.
Saw the show on opening night. It was great! Lots of laughs but still with a sweet and important message. Really enjoyed it and will probably see again. A small but memorable cast and clever writing. Direction was spare but masterful. Highly recommend!